Sarah woke up to a knock on the door. Reluctantly, she got out of bed; even pinching herself to make sure that she was actually awake. She looked out the peep hole but didn't see anything but the wood wall of the hallway. She nearly jumped when another knock was struck not a foot from her face. She opened the door to see a four foot tall dwarf looking at her.

"Oh! Hoggle!"

"Good morning, Sarah! How'd you sleep? It's time for breakfast. Here, change into this," he said handing her a light blue colored dress. This dress was more elegant than the last. The dress was covered in a sheet of lace that lay beautifully over the sky colored silk.

"Breakfast with Jareth?"

"Yes, of course. His majesty has prepared a full day for you. Hurry, now. Go get dressed and I'll escort you there."

She took the dress back to her bedroom and slipped it on. It was more form-fitting and had long, bellowy sleeves. She decided to leave her hair down, bringing just two strands from either side of her face back and holding it in place with a bobby pin. She looked like she stepped out from a renaissance fair.

She followed Hoggle down the hallway and toward the dining room. She felt giddy for some reason and was quickly getting annoyed with herself. She was supposed to be confused and taking everything slow, but her heart had other ideas, but it had to be checked with her head first before Sarah would let it decide anything. They rounded the corner and down the staircase. Her heart skipped a beat, making her blush when she saw him at the end of the table. She cursed at herself for letting it happen for she knew that he hadn't missed it.


Jareth could feel the change in the atmosphere before she walked into the room. She was a glimpse of pure heaven; the most beautiful creature he had laid eyes on. The aura around her glowed a dull gold-it had always been that exact color. He still felt the butterflies in his stomach as her green eyes landed on him. He couldn't help the small smile that wouldn't go away on his face. He wished he could get to her on her own level, to understand what was going through her head when he looked at her and that faint blush suddenly appeared.

"Welcome, Sarah. Come and sit. I would like to have a word with you."

She slowed her pace, not sure how she should feel about the statement. He noticed her hesitation but allowed her to take her time. He had an important request but he wasn't going to rush her.

Sarah finally made it to her chair, watching Jareth the whole way. She sat down in the chair to his right. He couldn't keep his eyes off of her and it made her nervous. She hadn't ever had a male's attention in this way.

"So…ummm…what's up?"

He paused for a moment at her with his eyebrows knitted together. He glanced above his head. Sarah couldn't help but let out a confused giggle.

"Jareth, I mean what is going on? What did you need to talk to me about?" her cheeks started to flush at the thought, "About last night…"

"Do not worry, Sarah. Last night is forgotten," he said looking into her eyes and gently grazing his hand over hers, which made her shiver. She knew he saw what the slight touch did to her.

"Well…then what is it?" she choked out.

"I have a request for you. I know that the whole situation is a bit overwhelming for you. I want you to do what you feel is best for yourself, but I want you to get a chance to see what your life would be like here."

"So…what are you asking of me Jareth?"

"I want you to spend one human week here…in the castle…with me. If after that week, you are not fully satisfied with what your life would be like here, you can leave. It will be like you never left the Aboveground. What do you say?"

Sarah looked away from his warm eyes at the wall across the room. She knew his offer was most generous from a powerful king who, if he wanted, could have everything that he wanted. He wanted her to see if this life, his life, would make her happy. She knew what she had to do. If she rejected his offer, she may never know what could have been. She looked back up at Jareth, who was waiting patiently for her answer.

"Ok, Jareth. I will stay…for one week."

He let out a sigh, like he had been holding his breathe. His eyes twinkled with possibility and a small smirk made its way to his face. She really hoped she wouldn't regret this.